A: Yes, certified Acupuncture Detoxification Specialists (ADS) can continue to perform the NADA protocol for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorder.

Q: Will acupuncture be covered by insurance after SB 683 passes?

A: SB 683 will remove barriers to insurance, but does not require it.

Q&A with explanations and references

Q: Is acupuncture licensed in other states?

A: Yes, a license is required to practice acupuncture in 46 out of 50 states.

Nevada was the first state to legalize acupuncture in 1974, and Kansas was the most recent state, passing legislation in 2017. The only states that still do not require a license to practice acupuncture are Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alabama, and Michigan.

Q: If I am practicing acupuncture in Michigan but do not meet the national standards for licensure, will SB 683 stop me from practicing acupuncture?

A: You may be qualified to apply for licensure through the Michigan state-licensure candidate route.

The Senate Health Policy Committee (SHPC) determined that the grandfathering section of SB 683 as originally written would not do enough to ensure that all Licensed Acupuncturists were fully qualified to practice. The intent of that section was to include qualified individuals who have been practicing legally in the state, but whom did not graduate from an ACAOM-accredited program and thus could not sit the NCCAOM national board exams.

The SHPC required that a new route to licensure, the “NCCAOM state-licensure candidate” route, be created.

In this route, which has been used by many state regulatory departments, the Michigan Board of Acupuncture will set standards according to Section 16151(2)(B) to pre-qualify individuals to allow them to sit the national board exams administered by National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). These will include the acupuncture and point location exam, foundations of oriental medicine exam, and biomedicine exam. The results of the exam will be sent directly to the Board, who will determine eligibility for licensure.

These individuals will have a 12-month window to apply to the state board and demonstrate to the board that they have the necessary education, training, and experience. These standards will be determined by the Board of Acupuncture, as required in Section 16525 of the bill.

The intent of this section is to allow individuals meeting these requirements to demonstrate their qualification for licensure by taking and passing the national board exams.

NOTE: The 12-month window for application is anticipated to begin in 2020. This assumes that SB 683 is signed into law before the end of 2018.

Although many of these activities will be included in the scope of a licensed acupuncturist, the intent of SB 683 is to create broad exemptions for the performance of previously un-regulated procedures, and will not affect the ability of unregulated professions such as life coaches, dieticians, nutritionists, naturopaths, homeopaths, and herbal medicine practitioners to continue doing their jobs. SB 683 will only restrict the performance of acupuncture and moxibustion to licensed acupuncturists.

See Section 16513(2)(D)

Q: Will SB 683 allow ADS’s to continue performing the NADA protocol?

A: Yes, ADS’s can continue to perform NADA.

SB 683 creates a specific exemption for certified Acupuncture Detoxification Specialists (ADS) to continue performing the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorder.

See Section 16513(C)

Q: Will acupuncture be covered by insurance after SB 683 passes?

A: SB 683 will remove barriers to insurance, but does not require it.

This bill does not require 3rd party or workers comp. reimbursement, but its passage will remove some of the barriers to insurance coverage for acupuncture.

Insurance companies in most other states include some degree of coverage for acupuncture. In Michigan, some insurance companies cover acupuncture when performed by a physician, but not when performed by an acupuncturist. Licensure will remove the barriers that contribute to this situation and bring Michigan up to the level of other states in the Great Lakes region.

If you have further questions please contact the MAAOM Legislative Committee members below:

Join MAAOM and other national and international organizations in celebrating Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day on October 24, 2018.

In Michigan, the Governor has proclaimed Oct 24 as AOM Day every year since 2014!

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day has been observed annually on October 24 since its initial commemoration on October 24, 2002. It is part of an effort designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

An estimated 36% of U.S. adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health. When megavitamin therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons is included in the definition of CAM, the number of U.S. adults using some form of CAM in the past year rises to 62%. Among the common CAM practices identified by the survey were acupuncture, acupressure, herbal medicine, tai chi and qi gong.

A survey by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine found that approximately one in ten adults had received acupuncture at least one time and 60% said they would readily consider acupuncture as a potential treatment option. Nearly half (48%) of the individuals surveyed who had received acupuncture reported that they were extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their treatment. In addition, one in five (21%) of the total NCCAOM survey respondents reported that they had utilized some other form of Oriental medicine besides acupuncture, such as herbs or bodywork (e.g., shiatsu).

These studies and others like them clearly demonstrate that CAM therapies such as acupuncture and Oriental medicine are common practice in today's health care system. They also support the need for consumers to be provided accurate and reliable information regarding their treatment options.

You may have been receiving letters in the mail, phone calls, or emails as of late. Make no mistake, we have been reaching out to old members and new alike.

This is a very important time as on Nov 30, 2017 legislation was introduced to give acupuncturists the full rights and protections of licensure. This legislation will create revenue-neutral regulation of the profession, remove barriers that discourage acupuncturists from moving to and investing in Michigan, and make it possible for insurance companies to cover acupuncture.

We need your support to make Michigan the 47th state to license acupuncture! Please join our association, donate, and call your representatives. If you're already a member and wish to help, please email us at maaomstaff@gmail.com. Thank you!

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is supported by a unique international partnership of organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These organizations include professional associations and educational institutions.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day offers a rare opportunity to focus attention on the long and rich history of this traditional form of health care.

The MAAOM is participating in this year's Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day by organizing events all over the state, from Traverse City to Grand Rapids to Detroit.

In response to the opioid crisis, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette joined 36 other attorneys general in urging the health care industry to promote the use of physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic as an alternative to opioid drugs for pain.

The undersigned State Attorneys General are sending you this letter to urge America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to take proactive steps to encourage your members to review their payment and coverage policies and revise them, as necessary and appropriate, to encourage healthcare providers to prioritize non-opioid pain management options over opioid prescriptions for the treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain.

[...]

When patients seek treatment for any of the myriad conditions that cause chronic pain, doctors should be encouraged to explore and prescribe effective non-opioid alternatives, ranging from non-opioid medications (such as NSAIDs) to physical therapy, acupuncture,massage, and chiropractic care.

The Food and Drug Administration has released new guidelines intended to address the crisis of prescription opioid abuse. For the first time, these guidelines now include a recommendation that physicians educate their patients about the benefits of acupuncture.

According to the FDA, an effective treatment plan should include non-pharmacological therapies as part of a multidisciplinary approach to chronic and acute pain.

This recommendation is part of a trend to deal with the opioid crisis by treating non-opioid therapies - like acupuncture - as a first-line treatment for pain. Institutions and organizations like the Joint Commission and the American College of Physicians have also released similar recommendations in the past years.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is supported by a unique international partnership of organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These organizations include professional associations and educational institutions.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day offers a rare opportunity to focus attention on the long and rich history of this traditional form of health care.

The MAAOM is participating in this year's Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day by organizing events all over the state, from Traverse City to Grand Rapids to Detroit.

Spearheaded by NCCAOM®, the New Designation Means Greater Recognition Across Federal Agencies and Access to Programming

"Earning a distinct Standard Occupational Code for Acupuncturists is a milestone moment for the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession. This event positions acupuncturists for a number of new opportunities," said Kory Ward-Cook, Ph.D., CAE, chief executive officer of NCCAOM. "The classification of 'Acupuncturists' as its own federally-recognized labor category both validates and bolsters the profession and positions the industry for growth."

The new code for Acupuncturists -- SOC - 29-1291, will be included in the next edition of the BLS Occupational Handbook, which will be published in 2018.